1) Watching Giggs remains a privilege

The odds are against Ryan Giggs appearing at the Bernabeu Stadium, only three days after his goalscoring appearance against Everton on Sunday. It is a pity, as he deserves a grand tour of European football's finest arenas in recognition of what he has given to the game and Manchester United. He has now scored in each of the last 23 seasons for United. 23 seasons. It is staggering, and testament to the condition the 39-year-old has kept himself in and willingness to reinvent his game once he was no longer equipped to waltz past opponents on the wing. There is a tendency to take the greats for granted after a while. But not Giggs. Another Premier League winners medal appears destined for his cabinet. Andy Hunter

2) Perhaps Cattermole needs a sports psychologist

Martin O'Neill is far from convinced by psychologists, but his captain and key midfielder clearly needs help. Lee Cattermole is genuinely talented but his habit of constantly diving into ridiculous tackles, collecting suspensions and damaging his knees en route, does nobody any good. Intercepting rather than always diving-in should help his game immensely, but the suspicion is that this may not happen until someone properly qualified addresses the internal anger he evidently struggles to suppress.

On Saturday he started against Arsenal and, clearly not fit, launched into a late third-minute tackle on Aaron Ramsey. Rightly booked, Cattermole was then a sending-off waiting to happen before being withdrawn at half-time. It is maybe worth remembering that some people at Middlesbrough believed that the young Cattermole benefited enormously from working with his old club's sports psychologist – one Bill Beswick. Louise Taylor

3) It is time to give Bale free rein

There comes a point when a player is so central to a team's offensive game, in terms of goals and assists, that he must be given a central platform to maximise his threat. It feels as though Bale has reached that point; the Tottenham manager André Villas Boas must write down his name first, in the No10 role, and pick players around him. The problem is that Tottenham do not have another true left-winger. Lewis Holtby, Clint Dempsey or Gylfi Sigurðsson could operate in the position but the team's balance might be affected. Bale's claims on centre stage, though, have become irresistible, as anybody who watched him against Newcastle United would attest. David Hytner

4) City look in need of a wholesale clear-out

Manchester City are 10 points worse off now than they were at this stage last season and there is little chance of them retaining their title. The manner of their failure so far this season implicates everyone at the club. The transfer policy has weakened rather than strengthened the team; Roberto Mancini's tactics and man-management have been flawed; and too few players have been consistently reliable, seemingly numbed either by the lack of competition for places, scepticism about the manager's methods or plain old arrogance. At the end of last season they seemed on the verge of an era of dominance; after Saturday's defeat to Southampton, they look in need of a large clear-out. Paul Doyle

5) Le Fondre needs more game-time to make a real impact

Having what managers are currently calling an 'impact' player on the bench is obviously reassuring, but Brian McDermott's policy of using Reading's leading scorer, Adam Le Fondre, only as a second-half substitute is in danger of becoming counter-productive. Yes, as McDermott points out, the Royals have taken 14 points from their last eight games. And before Saturday's game at Stoke, Le Fondre had scored five goals in four games in a relatively short amount of time on the field: 85 minutes, to be exact, enough to see him become the first Reading player to be named Premier League player of the month. It won't keep happening though and logically, the longer he is on the field, the more likely he is to give Reading a goal. They carried no threat whatsoever at Stoke until McDermott brought him on. If Reading are to stay up, 'Alfie' needs to start games as well as finish them. Richard Rae

6) How football can learn from rugby

Over the course of the weekend, Jaco Peyper, George Clancy and Jérôme Garcès refereed the Six Nations tests with serenity, authority and apparent ease, not an observation regularly recorded following important football matches. Yes, the sports are different, but this is not the difference between the aforementioned three and their Premier League equivalents; rather the comparative competencies. The excuse regularly offered is the comparative behaviour of the players, and there's plenty said about how footballers ought to be more like their rugby counterparts, plenty of it ill-informed, classist claptrap. But producing a continuum of outstanding officials; that is an aspect it is imperative football imitate. Pierluigi Collina, the finest football referee of recent times, was a man with whom no one messed because he brooked no messing, indulging his ego with neither officious prancing nor matey patter — and somehow, the game muddled through. Collina understood that referees are there solely to interpret the laws, which is all that must be demanded of them, and they must demand only that of themselves. Daniel Harris

7) Redknapp's selection dilemmas

To play or not to play your best players when they are not properly fit? Harry Redknapp had reason to regret selecting Julio Cesar at Swansea when the Brazilian goalkeeper, hampered by a groin injury, was at fault for three of the four goals QPR conceded. He wouldn't do it again, but he will continue to use Bobby Zamora, who needs surgery to remedy a hip condition. Redknapp explained: "The operation would put him out for eight months, and I can't afford to leave him out. If he starts, he has to finish at half-time. If we played straight through without an interval he could probably manage 70 minutes but when he stops at half-time he seizes up and then he can't move. When he plays he's different class: he scores, he can hold the ball up and brings others into the game. He's someone we can play up to. Without him we don't have someone who can lead the line." Joe Lovejoy

8) Can Chelsea really take the Europa League seriously?

Rafael Benítez has made the point on numerous occasions since taking over at Stamford Bridge, that the squad he has inherited, and to which was only added Demba Ba last month, is too thin to compete on numerous fronts. Back in the summer they had aspired to win seven trophies this term but, now, all that remains are the defence of the FA Cup and the pursuit of the Europa League, and neither of those are priorities give the necessity to finish in the top four, albeit the rewards from such success may not be enjoyed by the current manager. And yet Benítez is desperate to emerge from what must have felt a trying time back in the Premier League with at least one trophy, not least to add to his own CV as he searches for a more permanent employment. His instinct would be to attack the Europa League with relish, recalling how he won it when it was the Uefa Cup with Valencia nine years ago. Yet, with everything hinging on a top-four finish and the gap from Arsenal just five points even after this reassuring win, can this team seriously target Europe's second competition? There may be bodies coming back into contention who thrived against Wigan – Eden Hazard has returned from suspension, David Luiz from injury, while both Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi will return from South Africa next week – but this squad can still feel stretched. The priority, as stressed by the owner, simply has to be league form. Dominic Fifield

9) Less hoof, more haste

When West Ham have played well this season, it is because they have had pace and invention on both flanks, which lends a purpose to their direct approach. However against an Aston Villa side who only need the slightest of pushes to collapse, Sam Allardyce picked a five-man defence – and it was five, even if he argued it was three plus two wingbacks afterwards – and West Ham did not manage a single shot on target in the first half. Given Villa's struggles to deal with crosses, the omission of Matt Jarvis was particularly baffling and for much of the match West Ham were appalling going forward, depressingly quick to resort to aimless hoofs. Allardyce has had a positive influence on West Ham, there can be no dispute about that, but his bosses might think twice about extending a contract which runs out in the summer if the team continues to be so lumpen. Jacob Steinberg

10) Teams must learn not to err against Spurs

No side in the Premier League is as ruthless on the counterattack at present as Tottenham. At times against Newcastle, the home side appeared happy to cede possession safe in the knowledge that if they so much as sniffed a sloppy pass they would be on it like a ravenous dog and very quickly threatening Tim Krul's goal via the jet-heeled twin threat of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon. And while it wasn't an errant pass but dithering at the back that cost Newcastle as Bale zipped in to secure the three points, not the first time this season that a team has had its pocket picked by Andre Villas-Boas's side. Against Spurs' 4-2-3-1 system set up to wring the most out of Bale, Lennon and now Lewis Holtby (who have license to roam between midfield and attack) Newcastle's risky play paid in points lost. Gregg Bakowski